Silver Hatchet
$21.99
Should ideally be maintained in a heavily-planted set-up, preferably with a dark substrate and some patches of floating vegetation around which the fish will tend to congregate since they spend almost all of their time at or towards the surface.
Driftwood branches and dried leaf litter can also be added, the latter in particular driving establishment of microbe colonies as decomposition occurs.
Such microorganisms can provide a valuable secondary food source for fry, whilst the tannins and other chemicals released by the decaying leaves are also thought beneficial.
Water movement should be gentle to moderate and be sure that the aquarium cover is tightly-fitting as this species may jump when startled.
Temperature: 20 – 28 °C
pH: 4.0 – 7.0
Hardness: 18 – 179 ppm